Journeys never really end, right?
by xolef225
Summary: Other than being Champion, there wasn't much else that Red and Cynthia thought they had in common. However, when they're given the opportunity to delve deeper into the myths and legends of their world than anyone before them, putting aside their differences is a small price to pay in order to regain something they never knew was lost.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N) So, why do I put even _more _on my plate by putting out another story?

I don't know.

Either way, the muse is there, and as a result, so is the newest addition to the Pokémon fanfic community.

I'll be trying to keep the mixture of "youthful nostalgia" and "more sensible take" to an acceptable level so that things don't start to feel too out of place. Obviously, not everything will work out that way, and the things that I try to establish won't always fall within the realms of what Gamefreak and The Pokémon Company would call "canon-compliant" (either due to my own ignorance or a given topic not giving itself to a believable plot element).

That isn't to say that I won't try my hardest to make the very best I can out of the wonderful world that was part of many of our childhoods (and even adulthoods).

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed it when the idea ran through my head.

X

It had been a little over four years since that fateful day he became Champion.

Admittedly, it was tiring work. Since Kanto and Johto shared a league, it was his responsibility to look after the peace and public image of _two _different regions.

It wasn't all bad, though. Once he fully got into the swing of things, he quickly realized that he had plenty of free time. Sometimes even more than the average person.

It was presently one such instance of "free time".

"Come on, buddy. Stay still for a moment will you?"

The Venusaur hummed happily and tried not to squirm as its trainer pruned the growth on its back. Usually, it wouldn't be necessary, but repeated use of powerful grass type moves made the vegetation on the creature's back grow a little too large for its comfort.

Red was currently on Professor Oak's ranch, looking after (and spending time with) his Pokémon. While he could technically do that anywhere, it was nice to have an excuse to visit home.

That, and because the Professor said he wanted to speak to him.

"How very like you, Red. I should've known you would have stopped by the ranch before coming to the lab," spoke Samuel Oak as he walked up behind the young Champion.

Red blushed faintly, absentmindedly running his hands up and down Venusaur's back. "Sorry, I was about to head over, but Venusaur's back was really bothering him. I figured it was better to deal with that sooner rather than later."

The Professor let a small smile escape his lips. "Yes, I figured it would be something like that. Regardless, you're here, and that's what matters in the end."

Red gave Venusaur one last pat on the side before moving next to the older man. "So how can I help you, Professor?"

"There's trouble near Cerulean."

Red sighed. So much for free time. "Any details?"

Oak waved him over, and started to walk towards the laboratory in the center of the greenspace. "Follow me, we'll talk inside. It would be better to show you."

Red did just that. The teen noticed offhandedly that the lab had changed quite a bit since the last time he'd been there. Some old machines were gone, some new machines came in, and some were replaced with newer, sleeker models.

"Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader, called this morning to inform me that strange things have been happening near the restricted area around Cerulean Cave," the professor told him once they were inside.

"Strange things?"

"Yes. Pokémon going missing, and Pokémon that don't belong to the area _appearing_. Those that are sighted have shown signs of erratic and violent behaviour. Six incidents have been reported thus far, all with passing hikers. Thankfully, no one has been seriously hurt."

Red looked confused. "That just sounds like some sort of mating pattern to me. Maybe a migration, even."

Professor Oak's expression turned grim. "I thought so too at first, but according to the Gym Leader, there are traces of unusual psychic energy. What made me call you here today was this picture she sent me."

On cue, the professor's hologram projector fired up and suspended a two-dimensional photograph in midair. The image quality wasn't the best, but Red could still make out that it was taken just outside of Cerulean Cave. Darkened by the entrance's overhang, the Champion could barely see the unsettling, alien-like features of the… the…

"What _is _that?"

"A Pokémon," came the older man's answer.

"A Pokémon?" Red had seen many such creatures over the years, but never something that looked anything like this one. "What kind of Pokémon?"

"…We don't know."

_That _was unusual. If _the _Professor Oak doesn't know what kind of Pokémon it is, then it would be safe to say that it isn't a Kanto native. "Did you try contacting Professor Elm, or even Professor Birch? Both Johto and Hoenn are pretty close, so it could be a rarer species that found its way over here."

"You don't understand me. I said _we _don't know." The professor tapped the image and the hologram zoomed in on the Pokémon. "I've sent this picture to _every _league-affiliated laboratory. Not one professor or Pokémon expert could tell me what this thing is."

"…Oh." Red tried to hide his surprise. The jury was still out on whether the aging man could see through that or not. "I'll head out now then."

Red pushed a few buttons on his Pokédex, causing both the state-of-the-art encyclopedic device and Professor Oak's Pokétch to ring.

"These are the Pokémon I'm taking off the ranch," said the teen, referring to the Pokémon checkout request he sent via Pokédex.

The Pokédex checkout was something the professor had implemented for security reasons. It makes it a lot easier to keep track of which Pokémon are where with a digital record of their removal from the ranch.

"Good luck, my boy. I suppose you'll go pick up Pikachu on your way out?" mused Oak.

"Yeah, I'll go see my mom before I leave."

X

The moment Red walked into his house, the little thunder-type that had been with him since the beginning of his journey appeared and perched himself on his shoulder.

"Did you two have fun?"

Pikachu nodded his head, then tilted it to the side. Almost as if to ask, _why, are we leaving already?_

Red could pick up on his friend's body language fairly well. "Yeah, we gotta go check something out near Cerulean Cave. I called Misty and told her that we'd meet up with her this evening."

"Leaving so soon? You just got here."

Red's mother, Delia, walked into the living space. Despite her words, she walked up to her son and gave him a big hug. "Stay safe, my little champion."

The teen blushed a little but didn't whine. He was used to his mother's efforts to embarrass him by now. He returned the hug with a smile. "I will. Pikachu and I will stop by again when we're done."

Her loving smile turned into a more teasing one. "It's always just you two. Would it kill you to bring a nice girl home to your mother? You'll never find someone at this rate."

"Mom!" he _did _whine that time.

X

The Indigo League Champion arrived in Cerulean City in less than an hour, thanks to his Charizard's impressive wing strength. He was a little early, but he figured that he might as well let Misty know that he'd arrived.

He had Pikachu pass him his Pokégear from his bag to send the Gym Leader a message, but the phone-like device flashed first, letting him know that he received a notification.

_"Meet me at the gym– Misty"_

Huh? How did she know he was here?

Swiping out of the messaging app on his Pokégear, he pulled up the area map so he could find his way to the Gym. While he knew his way around Kanto –and even Johto– pretty well, it didn't stop him from getting lost in big cities like this one.

He patted Charizard on the snout, then returned him to his Pokéball. They landed on the outskirts, but it was close enough for him to walk the rest of the way. "You did well. Thank you."

It didn't take the teen and his yellow companion long to make it to Misty's gym. Unsurprisingly, the place was still full of water Trainers trying to better themselves despite it being close to seven in the evening.

"Red, over here!"

Misty waved him over. She was sitting at the far end of the pool, and unlike the other trainers, she was simply dangling her legs in the water.

Red noticed that she'd changed a bit since he last saw her a few months ago. Her hair had been let down to fall to her neck, and she wore a one-piece bathing suit under a track jacket since she seemed to be taking a much more hands-on approach to her aquatic training.

He also noticed the Psyduck trembling in her arms.

"What's up with Psyduck?

The Gym Leader's previous easy-going mood quickly turned into an annoyed one. Noticing the shift in tone, Pikachu decided it was as good a time as any to remove himself from the equation and go play with the Starmie in the pool. "Moron. It's your fault for flying over to Cerulean on that stupidly overpowered Charizard of yours. Any Pokémon around here with even a _slightly_ psychic nature would have felt that thing get close. And of course, you know how easily stressed this little guy gets."

Red blinked. "Oh. Sorry."

So _that's _how she knew.

"Tch."

The Champion wasn't really worried about making Misty angry. While she liked to act nice around strangers, her friends would know that she's easy enough to anger that she's more likely to be annoyed about something than not. He had learned early on in their relationship to take her pissy moods with a grain of salt.

"Anyway," she diverted, "come with me to the office. I want to get this problem solved ASAP."

Misty quickly gave instructions to one of the lifeguards to come to get her if anything happened, while Red waved to his Pokémon to let him know where he was going. Misty then grabbed Red by the arm and pulled him towards the backroom.

"I'll get straight to the point. I'd go investigate this myself, but… current circumstances make that course of action considerably less advisable. Sorry for putting this on you."

As she spoke, she shuffled around papers she had placed on the large wooden desk. She handed a manila folder to him.

As the Champion read the contents of the files, his eyes widened. "This is…"

"Yeah. Officer Jenny gave that to me just a little before you got here, actually. Those police reports paint a much more serious picture than what we thought it would be just yesterday. A couple attacked by their pet Evee, a Snubbull starting fights with passerby Pokémon, even the police force's Growlithe disobeying orders…"

"It's not just the Pokémon near the cave that are being affected," concluded Red.

"No, it's not. We're trying to contain the situation as much as we can by passing all of these off as 'isolated incidents', but that doesn't actually do us any good in the progression of this case outside of causing mass panic. If anything, cases like these will just keep piling because we can't tell anyone that something's up."

"So," reasoned the boy, "I'll go deal with the issue as quickly as possible while you and the Force try to deal with things in the city?"

"Pretty much, sorry again."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'm the Indigo League's Champion, so it's my responsibility to act if ever this stuff happens."

Misty gave her friend a gentle smile. "I suppose. But for now, it's getting pretty late. You can stay the night with my family, and I can help you set up tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good."

X

Red knew something was up when he didn't run into a single Pokémon. It made sense that the trainers were gone (since Officer Jenny had route 24 on lockdown), but there wasn't a Rattata in the grass or Pidgey in the sky.

"Lapras, be vigilant. We don't want to be caught by surprise by anything underwater."

The champ and his Pikachu were sailing the waters leading to the cave on Lapras' carapace, crawling at a snail's pace out of caution. Red's eyes darted back and forth, making sure nothing would attack them from above ground.

Thankfully, the trip was uneventful. At the cost of half an hour's travel time and a lot of paranoia, they got to Cerulean Cave's entrance in one piece.

Red disembarked from his Pokémon, returning it to its Pokéball. Pikachu ditched his own ride too, choosing to walk instead of riding his trainer's shoulder.

Pikachu froze.

All of a sudden, the League Champion's starter Pokémon ran off in a seemingly random direction.

"Pi– Hey! Don't go too far!" Red chased his partner no more than a hundred meters before they both came to a crashing (and nearly clumsy) halt.

Pikachu was staring wearily at a blonde girl the same age as the dark-haired boy. Despite their location, she wore an elegant black dress paired with odd (yet surely equally classy) hair ornaments.

She didn't seem to notice them, too busy looking between the cave entrance in front of her and a handwritten journal. She was absentmindedly fiddling with her long strands which she kept up in a ponytail.

Despite his experience, it took Red's brain a moment to catch up to his current situation, and a moment longer for it to tell him how to react.

"Hey, you." –she turned to him, visibly startled– "This place is off-limits right now. Please leave."

X

Her heart was beating faster. And faster. Any faster than that and she was sure it would explode.

"Dodge it!"

She made it all the way here.

"Knock it off balance with an earthquake!"

She won the Lily of the Valley Conference. No one could hold a candle to her.

"Now, Garchomp, Giga Impact!"

The Elite Four were formidable trainers, no two ways about it. However, she was just that much better.

"No! Endure it!"

She was close. _She was so close_. The champion was strong, the crowd was painfully loud, the stakes were raised to astronomical levels. It was do-or-die.

She would win.

"End it now. DRAGON RUSH!"

Her Garchomp, the Pokémon she raised since she was nothing more than a cute little Gibble, hit the foe's Salamence so hard that it got _launched_ into the walls on the other end of the stadium.

She forgot how to breathe.

A moment passed.

Another.

**"It's over! Salamence is down for the count, and the reigning Champion has lost all six of his Pokémon!"**

The crowd's cheers grew louder. _They were cheering for her_. Before the commentator could finish what he was saying, she rushed towards Garchomp and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug.

"You did it!"

**"There you have it, Sinnoh! The challenger, Cynthia from Celestic Town, is your NEW CHAMPION!"**

Tears of joy fell down her cheeks. If it were possible, the crowd's cheers got even louder.

She did it. At seventeen years of age, Cynthia was crowned the youngest Champion in Sinnoh's history.

X

It was a month later that the rose-tinted glasses finally came off. Being what was essentially the figurehead of a region became tiring very quickly.

There were reasons that Cynthia made an attempt at the title outside of, "being the best that ever was". The Champion had access to places that were strictly off-limits by the order of Pokémon Leagues across the globe.

More than battling, her passion laid in ancient history and the study of Legendary Pokémon. Logically, the best way to find out _more _about the legends of the past would be to try her luck exploring places out of the reach of the general populace.

Much to her chagrin, however, her newfound duties had sucked up all the time she had for her hobbies.

And so, here she was. Barely instated as Champion and she already took a vacation to visit home.

"Cynthia, dear, could you track down this text for me? I'll send you the ISBN by Pokétch," called out her grandmother from another room.

Her grandmother, Professor Carolina as she was known as by most, was a well-respected figure in her field. Researchers from all over the world came here, the Celestic Town Historical Research Center, just to have the opportunity to work with her.

When Cynthia's parents passed away when she was a child, it was her Grandmother that took her in and practically raised her in this very research center. Spending her time in the facility, helping her grandmother, brought back fond memories of her years before beginning her journey.

"I'll get right on it," she answered back. "Just give me a second!"

The champion gently closed the old and worn tome she was reading. Removing her reading glasses, she rubbed her tired eyes while stifling a yawn.

Just because she liked the work, it didn't mean that it wasn't tiring. She had spent the last eighteen hours cooped up in her grandmother's study trying to find out as much as she could about the legends of space and time.

It was a subject that was just as important as it was exciting to the people that worked here. If a reason existed to seek employment here –other than working with the great Professor Carolina, obviously– it would be…

The young blonde looked out the large glass screens that panned the whole length of the study, allowing one to see the magnificent sight that lay before it. Just outside the research facility stood one of the most probed and discussed historical landmarks in the world.

Yes. People from all over the world surely came to work here, if only to be close to the famed Celestic Ruins.

Did Legendary Pokémon exist? Many would say that _some_ did. There were sightings, of course, of countless ancient and powerful beasts spoken of in legends. The Guardians of the Lake were one such example: they were definitely revered by the people of Sinnoh, and enough people _say _that they've encountered them that most could admit that they were around –at least in some capacity.

But what about the Pokémon that is considered to be akin to God, creator of all?

The creature of the shadows; the Devil himself?

…What about the two that command Time and Space?

The Celestic Ruins were one of the world's only clues to the answer. Not because of the ruins themselves, but what was found within.

Cynthia shuffled through rows upon rows of books within the research center's study, trying to find the exact journal that her grandmother requested. Occasionally, her eyes would wander to the reinforced metal doors that she knew stood behind the bookshelf in front of her.

An artifact existed behind those hidden doors; something that, on its own, was undeniable proof that the Rulers of Time and Space could be…

"Cynthia! Are you coming or not? It shouldn't be that hard to find… did you doze off?"

The girl blushed. She snapped out of her thoughts, grabbed the book, and hurried over to the head professor. "Coming, grandmother!"

Professor Carolina shook her head in exasperation, the other lab workers chuckling quietly. Many of them had known the woman's granddaughter since she was a child, so they found it amusing when she showed some of her old mannerisms as an adult.

"Here you go," said the youthful woman. "Assuming you're looking for the author's take on general relativity, it should be on page ninety-four… or rather, ninety-five. Sorry, I forgot you have a newer issue."

Her grandmother grinned. "Honestly, girl. You're such a nerd, you know that?"

Cynthia blushed, despite knowing the head professor was just teasing her. The coloration of her cheeks darkened when she heard the muffled snorts of the other scientists.

She pouted.

X

Professor Carolina wasn't surprised to hear that her granddaughter wanted to come to help out at the facility. Honestly, she figured it was a matter of time.

The foolish girl kept telling herself that it was a "vacation" to "de-stress", but she couldn't fool the one that raised her that easily.

Even all the way out here, she heard the rumours: the new Champion is too young, the new Champion isn't experienced enough, the new Champion doesn't have the right mindset…

It was getting to her, the poor thing.

Cynthia had to go out and _do _something, not stay cooped up here with research papers shoved up her nose.

Cross-referencing the email she just received from Professor Oak with files she had that depicted physical features of ancient Pokémon, she figured that she may have something that could work.

"Cynthia, dear," she called out to her wound-up granddaughter, "could you track down this text for me? I'll send you the ISBN by Pokétch."

From another room, she heard, "I'll get right on it, just give me a second!"

Technically, she didn't need that article right now. It was more of an excuse to get the girl out of the study.

Using state-of-the-art equipment, she superimposed a digital copy of Samuel's mystery Pokémon over a two-dimensional render of what, hypothetically, the Legendary Pokémon _Mew _could look like.

…A ninety-two percent match.

It might as well be perfect.

…

Where's that scatter-brained–

"Cynthia! Are you coming or not? It shouldn't be that hard to find… did you doze off?"

The girl really should be more grateful. This could be the discovery of the decade– no, the century! If she didn't love the little brat as much as she did, she'd be going to Kanto herself, damnit!

Her granddaughter scurried out from her hole in the wall, bringing with her a fairly recent edition of _Sinnoh's Legendaries and the Probability of Their Existence _by Professor Cedric Juniper.

"Assuming you're looking for the author's take on general relativity, it should be on page ninety-four… or rather, ninety-five. Sorry, I forgot you have a newer issue."

Carolina hid a smile. Cynthia's strength and ability as a Pokémon trainer was prodigious, so much so that it overshadowed some of her best qualities. Most would never know that Sinnoh's reigning Champion was, in reality, a bookworm with an amazing mind.

"Honestly, girl. You're such a nerd, you know that?" she said, teasing her good-naturedly to downplay how proud she was of the child she raised. Many of her co-workers, who knew the kid when she didn't even reach her grandmother's waist, laughed to mask the fond smiles that split their faces.

Cynthia might have it rough trying to win over the rest of Sinnoh, but amongst the researchers of Celestic Town, she had always been loved.

It was time to see if this could work. "Now, on to other matters. I need to ask a favour of you."

"Hm?" the pout was washed away by curiosity. Carolina was not a woman who asked for _favours_. If she wanted something, she'd simply tell you to do it.

"What do you know about the Pokémon Mew?"

"Supposedly, Mew is an ancient being that possesses the genetic code of every Pokémon known to us. Many think that it holds the secrets to evolution and that it is the ancestor of all Pokémon. Uh… why do you ask?" The word-vomit came out from the teenage genius' mouth before she could really process the question.

"What if I told you… That Mew could possibly be in Cerulean City, Kanto?"

"…" Cynthia's one visible eye widened. She was speechless.

"I can't go myself, since I'm too busy keeping things running here. You, on the other hand…"

Could it be?

Could her grandmother really be asking her to…

"But I'm the Champion! Sure, I'm taking some time off, but I can't shirk my duties forever.

The older woman grinned slyly. "Then you better get moving, right?"

Cynthia was out the doors of the CTHR faster than a Linoone could chase the shiniest pearl. Carolina hadn't seen her granddaughter move with such excitement since she played with Gibble in her youth.

Before the doors closed shut behind her, the blonde called out, "Grandma, send me the details! I can't be gone for long."

Carolina smiled. " Stop worrying your pretty little head. Go have an adventure, silly girl," she spoke softly to herself.

X

Having taken the direct flight from Sinnoh, it didn't long for Cynthia to arrive at Kanto Airport. The domestic voyage took roughly two hours, gate to gate.

Oddly enough, it was the trip to Cerulean that took the most time. Cerulean City wasn't easily accessible from the airport by road, so after all the detours it was already getting dark out when she got to the city.

Thankfully, she found a nice Hotel near the heart of town. A little pricey, yes, but it wasn't as if she would be low on cash any time soon.

Feeling a little hungry, she figured there was just enough daylight left to burn to go find a nice place to eat.

That's when she felt it.

She was walking leisurely down the still-quite-busy streets, then felt a sudden chill run down her spine. Rattata scurried away, some Wingull nearly fell off their perches, and countless psychic-types roaming the street shrunk in on themselves.

The foreign champ noticed almost immediately that the humans were taking it much better. There was obvious discomfort, but no-one was really panicking.

"So he's already here, huh?"

"I guess. We won't have _that_ problem for much longer, then."

What was going on?

"Excuse me," she asked a random passerby, "do you know what that was just now?"

The kind-looking elderly man she stopped let out a shaky laugh. "Y'er not from 'round these parts, are ye?"

Cynthia blinked. "No… no, I'm not. Is it that obvious?"

"Well, I'd say those o' us under the jurisdiction o' the Indigo League would be used to the Champion dropping by e'ry now 'n then."

The Sinnoh native had to consciously hold her jaw up. "That was the Champion?"

She'd never met the man before, but she definitely heard the stories. Red was a powerful trainer; he had to be, since he was responsible for _two _regions.

But what she felt wasn't _power_. It was something more than that.

"Sure was," confirmed the old man. "…Er, his Pokémon, I mean. I hear its 'cuz the thing exerts a strong Pressure."

Pressure? That was rare ability, but for it to be this strong…

"It couldn't be a Kanto native, then…" she mused aloud, not caring that the man could hear her.

"Hm? O' course it is. Charizard is one o'em 'starters', right?"

…What? Charizard?

No. It should be Blaze. Charizard's ability is Blaze. "That doesn't make much sense, I'm afraid."

The man scratched his chin. "Heh. Hell do I know? I could be mistaken; never knew much 'bout'em trainer things t'begin with."

Cynthia smiled politely. "Never mind my comment. Anyway, thank you for your time. It's surely strange to think that the Indigo League's very own Champion is so close."

He waved her off. "No problem, young missy. You have a good evenin', now."

The man resumed his walk, presumably heading in the same direction as before she interrupted him.

Cynthia's smile fell, and her face scrunched into a thoughtful expression. "A revived Aerodactyl, perhaps?"

She would be stewing over _that_ for a while, apparently.

X

The city outskirts leading up to the Cerulean Cave felt… off.

No one was here. There wasn't a Pokémon or Trainer in sight.

"You there!"

Turning around, the voice calling out to was a police officer flanked by an Arcanine. "Yeah, you! What are you doing here? Didn't you hear that the outskirts of Cerulean are off-limits to trainers right now? It's dangerous."

She tried to tell the man that being the Champion of the Sinnoh region, she was pretty confident in her ability to take care of herself. Taking out her trainer ID, she said, "You see officer, I'm actually the Champion–"

"Why didn't you just say so? Sorry about that, carry on."

That was… strange.

She decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. The blonde ignored the funny feeling she was getting and approached the rocky sides of the cavern.

She leaned against the entrance walls, pulling out her handwritten field journal. No matter how excited she was, this was still official research being conducted. She needed to document everything.

Cynthia reached into her handbag and pulled out her reading glasses. Idly, she noted that her prescription might need another change. Was it because of all the reading she was doing?

_"Entry one: wildlife has been entirely evacuated from the area–"_

"Hey, you."

She jumped, embarrassingly enough, not expecting anyone else to be here. Standing in front of her was a teenage boy –around her age, maybe– with dark hair hidden beneath a red cap. His clothes were mostly dark, save for the long, high-collared red vest he wore.

At his feet was a Pikachu, still and alert. Cute little thing, really.

"This place is off-limits right now. Please leave."

Hm?

Cynthia thought she heard this one already. They let her in, didn't they?

And who was this kid to talk? He didn't look any older than her, and he _surely _wasn't any kind of security force.

"I assure you that I'm quite fine," the blonde tried to reason. "Please, don't mind me."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he answered.

"…Excuse me?"

Pikachu, having realised by now that she didn't pose any immediate threat, ran up its trainer's leg and perched itself on his shoulder. "I don't know how you got here, but it really isn't safe. Judging by the journal, I'll go on a limb and say you're some sort of researcher, right? Something dangerous is going on, and I _strongly _advise you stay away until it's resolved. I can't promise you'll be safe."

The trainer didn't know who she was, obviously. She couldn't hold that against him. However…

"Look, kid," she visibly pulled out her Pokéballs as his eye twitched upon hearing his new label, "I can take care of myself."

"…"

He stewed over something for a moment. Evidently, he decided that arguing wasn't worth the trouble since he drawled, "Fine. Follow me, but stay close and stay alert. I can't leave you here on your own."

If anything, she shouldn't be letting the _boy _go in, if the place truly was that dangerous –not that it should be, considering the police let him through. However, it appeared that they both came to similar conclusions. She'd let the kid follow her if only to get him off her back."

Cynthia sighed. She put her glasses back in her bag along with her notebook. Unfortunately, her field entries would have to wait. "A boy your age should know that there are much better places to pick up girls than in a dungeon-looking place like this. "

He didn't let himself get riled up. "It _is _closed off, right? How did you even get in here?"

The Sinnoh girl could admit to herself that she was a little curious about that too. "How did _you_?"

Evidently, Pikachu's trainer thought she was being facetious. "Tch."

Walking through the dimly lit cave, the two thought the same thing at the same time: _this person is unbearable_.

"…Pikachu? What's wrong?"

The farther they walked into the dimly-lit cavity, the more agitated the little thunder-type acted. It could definitely sense a danger that remained undetectable by the two humans.

The blonde scrunched her brows. "Maybe it–"

**"ROAAAAAAAAAAAR!"**

An intense heat crashed into all of them, almost making Pikachu drop off the boy's shoulder in surprise.

A large figure walked towards them from further into the cave. Each step created a tremor powerful enough to drop the stalactites from the den's ceiling.

A Rhyperior appeared.

The young man didn't look to be as frightened as he was confused. "There shouldn't be any Rhyperior in the wild here. Anywhere _near_ here, actually."

Thump.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

…There were a few steps too many for a single Rhyperior, right?

They appeared behind the first. A Scolipede, a Camerupt, a Scizor, an Arbok… was that a Tyranitar?

Dozens of incredibly powerful Pokémon from all over the world were gathered in one cave.

He fidgeted, looking left and right. The space was a little too tight for his comfort. "Hey," –he got the blonde's attention– "we should try to get out of here while we can. It'll be bad if–"

"Aura Sphere!"

A bipedal, canine-like Pokémon –a Lucario, if he remembered correctly– shot towards the group of behemoths like a bullet. With a quick flick of its wrist, a large ball of concentrated _aura _was sent flying straight into the leading Rhyperior.

The boy could tell immediately that the strength behind that blow was nothing to scoff at. The attack took the seven-footer right off its feet and sent it crashing into the group at its back.

This was their chance.

The dark-haired teen could let himself be amazed later. The two trainers and their respective Pokémon made a mad dash for the entrance.

"Huff… Huff… What," The young lady tried to catch her breath. "the hell… were you thinking?"

"Huh?" came the dumb reply. She poked him in the chest for that.

"Do you get how _lucky _you are that I was there? You said it yourself– this place is dangerous! And to think that you would've gone in there alone, with a _Pikachu_, to fight a _ground type _and its _friends_!?"

Her laboured breathing now had more to do with her ranting and hysterics than shaky lungs.

The Pikachu's trainer did his best to stay calm. "Like I said, this place is different now. I was comfortable with the idea of relying on Pikachu in there since it's usually mostly water-types; none of them group up like that either."

She was just about to let him know what she thought of _that _tidbit but was fully incapable of doing so thanks to the following dilemma.

**BOOOOOOOM!**

The narrow, rocky entrance was reduced to a pile of rubble with a potent Rock Smash. It seemed that their aggressors weren't done with them yet.

A new beast was leading the charge. It was…

"What is that thing? cried out the red-clad teen. He covered his face with his arm to prevent the debris from getting in his eyes.

The Sinnoh-native had the answer. "It's a Rampardos, but that shouldn't be possible… It's a prehistoric Pokémon that can only be brought back to life in labs!"

Pikachu's trainer threw out two Pokéballs. "Alright, we have a little more room out here."

A sturdy-looking Lapras was released in the waters surrounding the island, while a–

Was that really a Blastoise?

Given another few inches, it would've been the same size as the _Lapras_.

The boy gave his commands. "Blastoise, Hydro Cannon! You!" –he looked pointedly at the blonde– "get on Lapras!"

She either ignored him, or just didn't hear him. She had already thrown her own Pokéball. "Togekiss, Aura Sphere from above!"

Togekiss didn't have the chance to act.

Blastoise's Hydro Cannon slammed against the wild Pokémon with a sweeping motion. The water pressure was strong enough to tear up the earth when it hit the ground.

With a little luck, all the aggravated Pokémon were dazed enough by the attack that they couldn't get back on their feet. However, that wouldn't last for long unless they could knock them out.

It was an unnecessary risk.

The Kanto local grabbed the blonde girl by her arm and pulled her to his Lapras. "Quickly, before they get back to their senses!"

She was just in time to call back Lucario –who was on standby– and Togekiss while Blastoise's trainer returned the water-type to his Pokéball. The moment they were on the transport Pokémon, it was off like a speed boat. They were out of immediate danger.

"Hey… if your Blastoise is that strong, why didn't you use it in the cave?" she had to ask.

The dark-haired teen scratched Lapras on the side of the head. They were now cruising at a comfortable pace on the water, well on their way to make it back to Cerulean proper by the next top of the hour. "A lot of Blastoise's moves need a big open space. Actually, _most _of my Pokémon need more space. We would've been flattened in a heartbeat if one of his moves misfired with us that close to him."

He thought for a moment before asking, "But really, what _were _you doing there?."

After what they'd been through, she might as well answer. Maybe if they put their heads together, they could identify what _that _utter clusterfuck had been. "I'm from Sinnoh, and my grandmother is one of the world's top experts on myths and history. She got a lead that makes her think that there might be a Legendary Pokémon around here, and she wanted me to look into it."

The boy looked bewildered. "Your grandmother sent you across the country to _look _for something dangerous? And what do you mean, 'Legendary Pokémon'? There's no way you'd find something like that." Could the lead have been the picture Professor Oak had sent out?

The blonde pouted; and expression that decidedly didn't fit her personality. "Hey, hey. Back in Sinnoh, I'm pretty well known, you know. I'm the Champion, so she knew that if anyone could take care of themselves, it would be me."

Oh, that makes sense then, since she's the–

"Wait, you're the Sinnoh Region Champion?" That explains why the Cerulean Police let her through. They were told to _only _let the Champion in, after all. "But you're…"

"Young?" she guessed. By the tone of her voice, she was pretty tired of hearing it.

"I… uhm. I'm just caught a little off guard is all." He didn't think there would be another champion as young as him.

She didn't push the issue. "…So you heard why _I'm _here, but what's _your _excuse?"

"Actually, Professor Oak is the one who sent me here. Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader, sent him a picture of a strange creature that was spotted near the cave. Apparently, there have been a lot of problems with Pokémon around here."

She gasped –quietly enough that it wasn't audible to her temporary travel companion– and fiddled around with the strange watch she had on her wrist. "Was it this picture right here?"

He looked at the small image pinned up on the watch's display. "Yeah… that's the one! Is your grandmother one of the Professor's colleagues?"

"Mhm. She got it from him."

"Pikachu, pass me my Pokégear, will you?" the trainer asked his Pokémon. The little yellow creature fiddled around with the boy's backpack before pulling out a cellphone-looking machine.

He punched in a few buttons, then hit the speaker function. The Pokégear rang audibly for a moment, then a click sounded. Someone had answered on the other end of the line.

_"Red, I expected to hear from you hours ago. Is everything alright?"_

The Sinnoh Champion's brain rebooted. "Hey, did he just say–"

"Yeah, sorry Professor. There was a bit of a commotion. Actually, that's why I'm calling."

_"What happened?" _

"I'm here with Sinnoh's Champion. Apparently, her grandmother–"

_"Professor Carolina?"_

Red shuffled over on his Lapras to look back at the girl for confirmation. She nodded. "–Yeah, Professor Carolina said the mystery Pokémon could actually be a Legendary."

_"Is that so? She could have let me know instead of sending her granddaughter all the way here."_

"Actually," interjected said granddaughter, "Grandmother sent me because she wanted to be absolutely sure before letting you know –I mean, we're working off assumptions and informed guesses for now."

_"I see! Red, why don't you and miss Cynthia stop by the lab, then? We have much to discuss."_

The mentioned blonde blinked. "Wait, Professor, how do you know that I'm–"

_"Last I saw you, you were an infant, my girl. Professor Carolina was on an expedition at the time, so she asked me to look after you. That was, say… fifteen years ago?"_

Cynthia could only nod dumbly, not that Samuel Oak could see her.

_"I'll be expecting you both, then! See you tonight."_

The line went dead.

Cynthia fidgeted. "Wait."

"Hm?"

"He said your name is Red. As in… the Kanto Champion?"

Both Red and Pikachu nodded. "That's me."

"You couldn't be any older than I am! If I'm right, you were named Champion four years ago, which would mean that–"

"Yeah, I had just turned twelve, actually."

She couldn't believe it. She had heard of the Kanto Champ in passing, but never would she have thought that he'd risen to the top of the Indigo League at _twelve years of age_. At _seventeen, _she was still Sinnoh's youngest, even beating world-famous Steven Stone's record of twenty-one in Hoenn.

…But that also brought other issues to light. If she had trouble making people respect her now, it must have been near-impossible for him as a pre-pubescent kid.

She would stop thinking about it for now. "So, Red… Oak's lab is supposed to be in a place called Pallet Town, right? How far is that from Cerulean?"

He scratched the side of his head. "I suppose it would depend on how you're getting there. Pallet doesn't have a commercial airport, but flying there on a Pokémon can take as little as an hour. Do you have a Pokémon on you that can carry your weight for that long?"

She could think of a couple, actually. "It won't be an issue."

"Good."

Red dialed a different contact on his Pokégear. "Misty, are you there? Don't expect me this evening, I've got a lead that I need to bring back to Pro–…"

Red pulled the device away from his ear. The person on the other end was yelling so loudly that Cynthia could hear it too. "Sorry, Misty. I know that dragging this out will start to spread you a little thin, but bear with me, will you? It won't be much longer… Yeah, I promise. Okay, talk to you later, then."

"Man!" he exclaimed after putting the device away. "She has one hell of a pair of lungs on her."

"Erm… That was…" Cynthia was surely caught a little off guard by the… intensity of the phone call.

"Misty, the Gym Leader. She's a good friend of mine."

The blonde looked visibly confused. "Friend? She sounded like she was ready to kill you."

Pikachu sniggered, while his trainer let slip a sheepish smile. "Yeah, well, she's a very outspoken individual. She's got a lot on her plate too, which doesn't help much."

"I do suppose Gym Leaders have quite an extensive list of responsibilities," mused Cynthia.

"Mhm. She's not even eighteen yet. Legally, her older sisters run the gym, but they dump the bulk of the job on her." –Red thought about the way he said that– "Oh! That's not to say they're irresponsible or anything. It's just that they own other businesses that need running too, and Misty is more keen on being a Gym Leader than her alternatives."

A chirp from Lapras cut their idle chatter short. They had reached the shore of route twenty-four.

The twosome disembarked the Transport Pokémon. Red returned the creature to its Pokéball, then brought out another one from his belt. " Come on out, Charizard."

The same feeling from earlier washed over her. Having fought her fair share of Pokémon with the ability before, Cynthia could say without a doubt that the aura exerted by Charizard was an effect of the Pressure ability.

An ability a Charizard shouldn't have.

"Tell me… That Charizard's ability is Pressure, isn't it?"

Red understood where she was coming from. "You're wondering why his ability is Pressure instead of Blaze, right?" –he rubbed the dragon-like creature on the side of the head affectionately– "To be honest, I don't fully understand it myself."

"What do you mean?"

"He wasn't always like this. I'd say that originally, he was a pretty normal Charizard."

Cynthia blinked in confusion. "Are you saying that he _learned _Pressure?"

The Indigo representative scratched his chin. "Yeah, you could say that in a way. It was a gradual thing. After every battle, he'd get stronger and stronger, and by the time we won our eighth Gym Badge, his growth was pretty visible. _Physically _that is."

Red's smirk turned reminiscent. He continued, "The first time I'd felt him exert Pressure, though… I would say that was when I was fighting Lance of the Elite Four. His Dragonite is a force of nature that was head-and-shoulders above anything I'd seen before. Charizard was still super strong, but Dragonite was bigger, faster, more experienced…"

Red trailed off. He finished while flashing his fellow trainer a genuine smile. "Charizard's whole aura changed, then and there. It was like he couldn't accept losing, so he adapted by creating a Pressure that could counteract that dragon's overwhelming presence."

Cynthia was fascinated. "I can't say that I'd ever heard of anything similar happening. It's as if Charizard _evolved on the spot _to match its environment!"

"I… haven't thought of it that way before."

The blonde took out her notebook and jotted her thoughts at a furious pace, all while mumbling to herself. "Hypothesis: Pokémon could display accelerated evolutionary tendencies if exposed to–"

"Uhm, excuse me, but…" Red snapped her out of her ramblings. "We should get a head start. We wouldn't want to be stuck in the Kanto skies at night."

A light blush crossed the Sinnoh girl's cheeks. "Right."

X

They made it to the lab just in time. The remaining orange-hued light disappeared over the Horizon just as Charizard and Togekiss landed in an open field inside of the Oak Ranch.

The figure that awaited them was one that Red was surprised to see.

"Blue? What are you doing here? I thought you said that you were 'stuck' in Viridian for another week."

Blue, a young man with wild brown hair, waved his hand dismissively. "This and that are different. Besides, the world isn't going to end if I close shop for a day or two. If gramps thinks this is urgent, you know I'll come no matter what."

"Also," he continued, noticing Cynthia stepping off her Togekiss, "who's your girlfriend?"

"She's not–"

"I'm not his girlfriend." Cynthia extended her arm for the man to shake. "I'm the Champion from the Sinnoh region. You are…?"

Instead of shaking her hand, Blue high-fived –and effectively slapped away– her hand. She frowned but otherwise kept her mouth shut on the rude gesture. "You can call me Blue. I'm pals with this guy here," –he pointed at Red– "and recently the guys in charge made me the head honcho at Viridian Gym."

"I see." She nodded. "Did Red call you over then?"

"Actually, I'm–"

"He's my grandson. I called him over since I thought we could use an extra hand." Coming out from the lab was Professor Samuel Oak himself.

The lone eye left uncovered by Cynthia's hair widened almost imperceptibly. This brash kid was really…?

"Yeah, that too, I guess. What's so important that you called me over anyway, old man?" inquired the Gym Leader.

Oak closed his eyes. "…We need to be careful. There aren't any existing records of anything like the being we're dealing with, so I'd rather be overprepared than deal with an opponent whose strength we couldn't handle."

"I'm glad you called him, actually," interjected Red. "We had a rougher time than I expected."

Samuel frowned. "Come in, then, all of you. We have much to discuss."

X

"I see…" The professor paced around his laboratory sporting a consternated look. He realized, after being filled in by Cynthia and Red, that the situation was much worse than he feared. "We can't let this go on for a minute longer than necessary. Other than Lance, I doubt that any trainer in Kanto would be able to deal with this excluding present company."

"That bad? We should call him, then," suggested Blue.

"It's no use." Red shook his head. "Lance is in Johto right now politicking with diplomats from the Unova region. He can't just leave, no matter how serious this is."

"Excuse me, Professor," spoke the blonde. "Isn't discounting the rest of Kanto a little much? While the Pokémon we encountered were formidable, an experienced trainer –with enough preparation– could surely–"

"The Pokémon of Cerulean Cave will be the least of our worries, my dear."

The Professor's words left the three teenagers tongue-tied. "The _true _threat would be the Pokémon with enough psychic power to command them all."

"The Pokémon?" Red narrowed his eyes. "I don't understand. Have you discovered something?"

"It's nothing more than a hypothesis at this point, but with everything we know now, I would say it's the most likely conclusion." Samuel fired up a holographic display, projecting the blurry image of the strange Pokémon near the cave. "If this Pokémon is of legendary origin, and has claimed the cave as its lair, then–"

"Then it _put _those Pokémon there!" Cynthia exclaimed as she caught on to what the Professor was saying. "It wouldn't even have to be a psychic. Countless tales of Legendary Pokémon depict some of them as having the ability to command other creatures. The powerful Pokémon we ran into at the cave, and even the ones that acted up in the city…"

"…They're being used as guard dogs!" Concluded Red.

Blue's eyes widened. "The Cerulean Pokémon aren't going crazy, then."

"No, they aren't," agreed the Professor. "They are perfectly sane; merely compelled to keep humans away from the cave."

"Wait, wait, wait." Blue waved his hands in front of him. "I don't want to take the gas outta anyone here, but realistically, do you think that this Pokémon is really a _Legend _of all things? I think there's a Unovan expression, _if you hear hoofbeats, think of Ponyta and not Cobalion_. Odds are, if it's a foregone conclusion that no one has ever seen this thing before, it's a new species but nothing more. A Legendary though? That would be like saying you think the boogieman is real and you _expect _it to be running the party."

"…I think Blue's right."

Red's comment on the issue seemed to annoy Cynthia, but she couldn't say anything before he continued, "The odds of us finding something right out of a fairy tale are laughably low. _However_, this is going to be dangerous, even for us. If we're going to do this, we need to assume the worst-case scenario."

Professor Oak's expression was unreadable. "Tell me, Blue. Red. You know of Mew, don't you?"

Blue scratched his cheek. "Of course… Wait, you aren't trying to say that you think we're dealing with Mew, now, are you?"

"That's what my grandmother thought, actually," provided Cynthia.

"And I understand why she'd think that," acknowledged the older man. "Had she shown you her findings before sending you off?"

The blonde blushed. "Well, I left in a bit of a hurry, so…"

"Ninety-two percent," stated the Pokémon Professor.

"Ninety-two percent… what?" asked Red on behalf of all three of them.

"Bipedal, feline features, and even an odd, bulbous tail. Psychic abilities, tendencies, activity patterns… Professor Carolina had concluded that when compared to everything we believe to be true about Mew, ninety-two percent of all journals, records and such texts in our possession match our mystery Pokémon."

"Hold the phone, old man," Blue crossed his arms to make an 'x' shape. "We were saying just now that the chances of this thing being a story-book Pokémon aren't zero anymore–which I can roll with! But now we're suddenly ninety-two percent sure this thing's a Legendary?"

The professor shook his head. "The math doesn't quite work that way. I just want you _all _to know that the odds of encountering a creature no one has seen before on record are _real_."

The three tensed as the words sunk in. As Pokémon trainers, it was like being told that the tooth fairy actually _was _real, and they'd be hunting it down.

"Well, Mew or not, this Pokémon is a threat regardless." Samuel tried to redirect the conversation before they could get too deep into their thoughts. "Blue and Red, you two should look into which Pokémon you want to take off the ranch tomorrow. Cynthia, you should call Carolina and ask her to transfer any Pokémon you feel you'll need to my lab. I advise all of you to put thought into your decisions, as this could be a matter of saving your own lives."

X

An austere-looking man puffed on a cigar as he flipped through the pages of the daily newspaper. In the dim lighting of the room, one could barely make out the form of a Persian lying next to the master-craft oak desk he sat behind.

"S-sir!"

A frightened young woman dressed in all black barged into the room, saluting her apparent superior. Her only distinguishing features were the red "R" on her torso and the belt of Pokéballs at her waist.

The man's eyes narrowed. Holding out his cigar, he said, "Give me your hand."

"…Sir?"

"Since you so rudely allowed yourself into my office without permission, I won't be able to finish my corona. Naturally, I wouldn't like to dirty my suit with ash, so I'll need to put it out. I'll ask again: give me your hand."

The poor woman gulped. She should have known better than to come in unannounced. Panic had overtaken reason at that moment. "Of course sir."

She bit her tongue to prevent a hiss from escaping her lips when he used the palm of her hand as an ashtray.

"Alright, then." His hands now free, the man poured himself a glass of the liquor resting on the edge of his desk. "What was it that you want?"

"W-we f-found it, s-sir."

He grinned.

X

In an ancient ruin long abandoned by civilization, two groups stood on opposite ends of what could have once been a place of prayer.

From one of the groups, a muscular man wearing a blue bandana stalked angrily to the front of his crowd.

"Stop getting in my way, you bastard…"

A man from the other side of the room met him at the halfway point between them. The reflective tint of his glasses did a good job of hiding the annoyance in his eyes.

"…You're a blinded fool."

A girl in a red hood smiled.

A towering man snarled.

A portly fellow crossed his arms.

A tall woman scoffed.

X

He was a "sick" man. Or at least, that's what he was told as a child.

He didn't care. In fact, he could _feel _himself caring less and less as the grin across his face widened.

This wasn't a smile of happiness. It was a smile of _success_. It was a smile of _dominance_.

This world didn't need happiness.

It wouldn't have it for much longer, either.

He clasped his hands behind his uniformed back, and his hairless brow relaxed.

"Is this true?"

The young blue-haired man in front of him shook his head vigorously, the twin-pointed bowl-cut atop his head whipping back in forth. "Absolutely! Our members in Celestic Town sent all the data our way. We doubt that Professor Carolina will ever publish these findings, but that doesn't negate their credibility– for our cause, at least."

"…Good."

If his master plan was once labeled as the ramblings of a psychopath, if not a naïve imbecile, then it was no longer as such.

It was real.

_They _were real.

The smile on his face widened, contorting his face to the extent that it was even starting to unsettle the man before him.

"…_Very _good."

X


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N) Happy All-Star weekend to everyone that cares, and to those who don't, uh... happy regular weekend!

Anyway! It just so happens that my reading week starts as of today, so it wouldn't be crazy to expect a _couple _of chapter updates within the next seven days.

As for the purpose of this story, and why I'm updating this instead of any of my other stories that haven't gotten any love since last year... I mean, Pokémon's pretty cool, innit?

Lol.

Seriously, though. Pokémon's cool. Cynthia's cool. Red's... the guy doesn't say much, but I guess he's cool too. The point is, the idea of a young Cynthia who's still getting used to her role as Champion going on adventures just sounds fun to me, somehow.

Please enjoy, and expect updates on stories you actually care about soon.

X

The early morning hours of Kanto were a sight to behold, the first rays of sun casting a beautiful flame of light across everything they touched. Of course, Viridian City was no exception to this.

Sinnoh's champion definitely appreciated this, as the odds of finding any trace of natural light at six-thirty back home were slim at best.

Ever the pragmatist, she chose to take advantage of her environment while their group stopped here for the night. Blue was insistent that they did, saying that he had tools that would prove invaluable to them on their quest.

"Again."

Garchomp –a strong-looking specimen– ran towards a weighted pylon planted some thirty meters away. Despite the speed it built up, the Pokémon was still able to stop and twist around it on a dime, finally stopping at a marker cone near to where it started.

Cynthia checked the stopwatch she had in hand and wrote the number on her clipboard. Garchomp waited for further instructions, a little out of breath.

"That was your best time this week. Good job."

Garchomp expressed its satisfaction with a soft cry.

The pair had been repeating the same circuit for the past hour in an attempt to better the Dragon-Type's agility. That was discounting the various other drills the girl put Garchomp through since the crack of dawn.

"That's all for today, girl." The Sinnoh champion approached her Pokémon and took off the heart rate monitor attached to its wing. She wrote down the numbers next to the time of completion.

Returning the exhausted creature to its Pokéball, she sighed. The training field she was in, while small enough to fit on the property of the Pokémon Center, was spread out enough for it to take a while for her to collect all the equipment she'd set out.

"Maybe this was a little much," she mumbled to herself, crouching to grab the marker cones strewn about.

"_I'd _say," agreed Red, who'd just come out of the very same Pokémon Center looking haggard. He glanced pointedly at the pylons, markers, high-beams and various other structures that were set from one end of the field to the other. "Where did you even get all of this?"

"They're rentals," she answered. "You can pick them up at the front desk."

Red made a mental count of how much that would cost her, considering just how much she brought. He quickly decided that her money wasn't his problem, though he still wondered what it was all for.

"Is this all… necessary?" he asked, not knowing himself if he was referring to the training regimen or the material costs of doing so.

"Of course." Somehow, she managed to sound both cool as a cucumber and insulted at the same time. "As champion, I must maintain a certain standard. To do that, my team and I work as hard as we can, whenever we can. Money is no object. I would've thought you'd get that, being a Champion yourself."

The Kanto trainer grimaced. They may have sorted out their differences caused by misunderstanding, but that didn't change the fact that they started off on the wrong foot. There were still disagreements to be had between them.

"Of course we work hard," he affirmed, Pikachu nodding along on his shoulder. "It's just that we don't need all that extra stuff."

Cynthia didn't like that answer. "Extra stuff?" she parroted.

"Are you two really arguing right now?"

Approaching them with a frustrated flare to his nostrils was Blue. He didn't look like he started the day in a good mood.

"Blue," Red nodded, acting as if nothing happened. "You're done already?" Checking the clock on the back of his Pokégear, he added, "It's not even eight yet."

"That didn't take long. I thought you said you'd be finished by noon at the earliest," added Cynthia.

"Yeah, well… I didn't so much 'finish' as I did 'drop everything I was doing to come and get you'," was the Gym Leader's awkward reply.

"What? Why, what's wrong?"

"I found more Team Rocket stuff."

"Is that so much of a big deal?" Red didn't sound too worried. "I mean, you find their 'leftovers' every other week."

Cynthia was considerably more worried than Red. "Hold on, did you just say Team Rocket? The criminal organization?"

It was the Kanto Champion who answered her. "I'm sure you know, but Team Rocket had been really active in the Kanto region until they were disbanded." She nodded, so he continued, "Well, the thing is, their boss was the city's Gym Leader."

The blonde's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah, thankfully _that _was taken care of," chipped in Blue, trying to lighten the mood. "Every now and then, we find some old trinket of theirs stashed away."

Cynthia relaxed considerably. "Red's right, then. That doesn't sound like anything too urgent."

Blue's eyes hardened. "Usually, I'd agree. However… it seems that we aren't the only ones hunting our fairy tale friend."

Nothing else needed to be said. The two Champions followed him with haste.

X

Blue led them straight to the administrative space near the back of the building.

Red looked around, seeing all the papers either stacked neatly in piles or organized and sectioned into folders. "I'm surprised you know where this place is, let alone use it."

"Har, har," was the dry response to the jab. "Just shut up and follow me."

To both Cynthia and Red's surprise, a stairwell revealed itself when the Gym Leader pushed the office desk to the side.

"How long has that been there?" asked Pikachu's current mount.

"No clue. I accidentally came across it for the first time a few hours ago. You're gonna wanna see this."

The stairwell itself led to a long tunnel passage. It was well lit, had a tile floor and brick walls. A permanent base, most likely.

Red and Cynthia stared in awe when they reached the end of the path. it was a large, circular room with high tech equipment throughout. In the center lay a cubic vault, the door left wide open.

"This was here the whole time?" asked Red in disbelief.

"Yeah. With all these lights and machines, it's no wonder my electricity bill is so high," joked Blue. "But that's not why I called you here. Check this."

He brought them into the vault. The only thing left in it was an inconspicuous filing cabinet.

One of the drawers was already open. Blue took out a plain white ring binder with two words and a number written on it in marker.

_Mew 2 Project._

Speechless, Red took the binder from his hands. The documents were numerous, so he went straight to the bookmarked sections to hurry things along.

_July 12th_

_Purchase of Specimen A was successful. Executives **(redacted) **have recruited Dr. Fuji of Cinnabar Labs to lead the project. Agreed payment is **(redacted). **_

_July 21st _

_The Guyana research team has been forcefully disbanded upon confirmation of delivery of Specimen A. Executive **(redacted) **and officer **(redacted) **have been dispatched to silence any individuals aware of Specimen A's existence. Methods have been left to their discretion._

_August 23rd _

_Dr. Fuji has contacted **(redacted). **Initial attempts have failed. Trials 1, 2, 3 did not survive. Dr. Fuji requests additional funding._

_September 7th_

_Funds in the amount of **(redacted) **have been processed. Officer **(redacted) **has been dispatched to oversee the remainder of the project._

_November 30th_

_Dr. Fuji has contacted **(redacted). **Trials 4 through 18 did not survive. Trial 19 was successful. Authorization to proceed with Specimen A will be processed within 24 hours._

_January 14th _

_Dr. Fuji has completed the procedure on Specimen A successfully. Specimen A-1 has been incubated._

_ February 5th_

_Specimen A has disappeared. All investigations are inconclusive thus far._

_February 6th_

_Specimen A-1 is born. Dr. Fuji has named it Mewtwo._

_September 1st_

**_(redacted)_**

…

"This…" Red muttered. His words were barely coherent, sounding more like grunts.

"Well? What is it?" asked Cynthia impatiently.

He handed her the folder. Both men watched her eyes widen more and more as time passed.

"This 'Specimen A' that's mentioned… could it be–"

"Mew? I would guess so," Blue interrupted her. "And that would make Mewtwo the Pokémon in Cerulean."

"That's…" started Red. What did he want to say? Bad? Worrisome?

"Incredible!" shouted the Sinnoh native. "Team Rocket did it, then. They found a Legendary. We have to capture it!"

"I don't think you get it." Red frowned. "We're dealing with a creature made by terrorists."

"I'd say it's _you _who doesn't get it," Cynthia replied heatedly. "To a mythologist and historian such as myself, this is the discovery of the century– maybe even ever. If we can prove without a shadow of a doubt that Legendary Pokémon are _real_, then countless long-standing theories will be validated! We should be willing to sacrifice anything and everything to see to that being done."

"I think you're crazy," was Red's incredulous reply.

"Enough! Both of you," –Blue gripped both of their shoulders before they could say anything else– "need to chill out. This is a seriously _huge _problem now, and we can't be arguing about petty shit like this."

The Gym Leader shot his League's Champion a glare. "I would think you'd know that better than me."

Red met Blue's glare for a moment but quickly turned away with a sigh. "Sorry, all of this is just a little…" he trailed off. The cap-wearing boy surprised Cynthia by bowing in her direction. "I spoke without thinking. It won't happen again."

"Yeah… so did I," she followed his example, though it was more reactionary in nature.

"Well, that was a piss-poor reconciliation if I've ever heard one, but it'll do. Now. Who's getting us the ferry tickets to Cinnabar?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

The two champions stared at the Gym Leader dumbly.

"Come on, now," he whined. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? We gotta go to the lab!"

"And what, we're going to search the entire island to find it?" Red wasn't impressed with the plan. "We're running out of time."

"Hm." The blonde nodded in agreement.

"Seriously? You're okay with fighting a manmade super-Pokémon without even knowing what's up with it? It won't even take that long! We go down to Pallet, take the ferry there, and when we're done we can take the ferry _again _all the way to Vermillion! That's practically two seconds away from Cerulean! _What's the big deal?_ " Blue was quickly getting frustrated. The situation weighed heavily on all of their minds.

"I'm the _Champion. _I can't just leave, no matter how good my reason is. If this… _Mewtwo _attacks while we're on Cinnabar, who's going to stop it? Misty?"

Cynthia crossed her arms, falling deep into thought.

Red was right. A Champion's responsibility is to the region they're in charge of. That was something she knew, but it had never occurred to her what that really meant before now. She felt like she was shackled by her new position, but originally she'd attributed that to a period of adjustment. It was sobering to hear words like that from someone who'd been doing it for years.

"Fine! _You _two go then, and I'll shack up at Misty's Gym 'till you get back. If anything happens, she'll have me to back her up."

"Will two Gym Leaders be enough?" spoke Cynthia before she could think. She quickly amended, "I mean do disrespect, but–"

Blue waved it off. "I get it, really I do. The difference between a Gym Leader and a Champion isn't anything to scoff at, but you don't need to worry."

"Yeah. Blue was the Champion before me, after all," added Red.

Cynthia's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Her outward reaction hid her surprise well. "I see. We'll leave you to it."

The ex-Champion frowned. "All that being said, move fast. Misty and I will hold it off, but I don't think any of us truly understand what our true 'worst-case scenario' is."

"Alright." Red reached to grab Charizard's Pokéball, but Blue held his arm.

"Don't waste any time or energy getting there. Take the convertible."

"Are you sure? I know you don't like other people driving that thing."

Instead of replying, Blue placed a set of keys in the Champion's palm. "You're right. I don't."

Nothing else needed to be said. The three made their way to the garage at the back of the gym. A tarp covered their designated form of transportation, which Blue pulled off in a single swipe.

Cynthia couldn't say that she knew much about cars, but she could definitely admire the beauty of the one before her. It was a few years old, to be sure, but its condition was excellent. It was covered in a glossy red paint job that didn't sport a single scratch.

Its owner sent them off with a parting message. "Treat my baby well, will ya? And one last thing…"

He tossed a briefcase into Cynthia's arms.

"You might need this."

Curious, the blonde opened it.

Her eyes widened.

"This is–"

"Hm?" Red came up behind her and quickly matched her expression. "How did you even _get _these?"

The brunette laughed. "My last name is still Oak, you know?"

"Is this what you came to get? Won't you need these more than we will?"

He shrugged. "Hey, who knows? They're experimental, so they might not ever work on something like a pissed off Mew clone. Don't sweat it though. I have a couple on me."

There wasn't any more time for chitchat. He made a show of pushing them into the car. "No hurry up and _go_! Anything you can find out about Mewtwo and 'Specimen A' could potentially save our asses."

"Assuming you still have one when we get back."

Red's comment wasn't appreciated, if being shoved over the door was any indication.

X

The Champions sat in the car silently, the Kanto representative flooring it the whole way back to Pallet Town.

Cynthia had her eyes fixed on the briefcase held on her lap.

In her possession was one of the most closely guarded projects in the entire country. Knowledge of its existence was kept to a strictly need-to-know basis, considering the only reason she recognized it was because she had taken over the position of Sinnoh Champion.

It would be a tool that revolutionizes the dynamic between people and Pokémon. Incidents resulting in trainer deaths would decrease by eighty percent –if the R&D team was to be believed– as unsuccessful captures of more powerful Pokémon would no longer occur.

The new-age Pokéball was dubbed the Masterball.

The reasoning behind the naming convention was that the tool emulated the effective capture rate of a Pokémon Master; an individual who sits at the top of the Pokémon League.

It made sense that if anyone were able to get a hold of a Masterball –let alone _five _of them– it would be the only active League official with a family relation to the country's Master.

Kanto, Oblivia, Almia, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. The Pokémon League and its Champions did a formidable job of keeping the regions in check, but it was none other than Samuel Oak who held the sole responsibility of looking after _all _of it. It was no wonder that he was held in such high regard.

Eventually, Cynthia broke the silence. "We have three of the five Masterballs with us. Was it wise of Blue to only take two for himself?"

Keeping his eyes on the road, Red answered, "We won't know until this is all over. Blue and Misty are dealing with a precarious situation, but at the very least they know what to expect. We don't know what we're going to find in that lab."

"Could it be anything worse than a mutated Legendary Pokémon?"

"…I hope not."

Pikachu jumped on to its trainer's shoulder from the back seat.

"Pika, Pikapi!"

Red suddenly slammed the breaks and swerved to the other side of the road. The tires sliding against the dirt road formed a cloud of dust that obscured the path ahead.

Cynthia was about to scream at him for driving recklessly until she saw movement within the dust cloud. All three passengers threw themselves out of the car, and not a moment too soon.

BOOM

A speeding ball of flames slammed into the vehicle, exploding the moment it made contact. There was nothing left save for scraps of metal.

Red and Cynthia looked at each other, cold sweat running down their spines. They had nearly died.

The smoke cleared, revealing two individuals, dressed head to toe in black. They stood behind a raging, six-foot-tall fire-type Pokémon, its smoking arms held out before it. It was likely the perpetrator.

A Magmortar.

"Oh? They lived," spoke one of the pair– a strangely groomed purple-haired man. His lax body language spoke volumes of his indifference either way.

"It seems so." His partner –a pink-haired woman– scoffed.

"Magmortar!" she ordered, nearly screaming. "Trespassers!"

The one word was all it needed to hear. The blast Pokémon planted both feet firmly on the ground, its arm-cannons glowing a bright red.

Pikachu reacted without instruction. Like a bolt of lightning, it catapulted itself into Magmortar's stomach. Unlike with a regular Tackle attack, Pikachu's electric typing made a show of lighting up its target with millions of volts.

The enemy Pokémon's attack was interrupted. Its body was sent careening backwards, almost toppling on top of the woman commanding it.

"Magmortar!?– You!" she pointed at the Champion duo. "Who _are _you?""

The blonde was about to speak up, but her road trip companion held her back.

He had just noticed the bold letter "R" embroidered onto the front of their uniform.

"That's none of your concern," replied Red, not wanting to tip off any Rocket splinter cell of their presence. "On the other hand, I'd love to know why you're attacking an innocent pair on their way back home."

"Nothin' personal, kiddies," spoke the man lackadaisically. "Order's from up top, 'n all. No one gets to Pallet Town right now."

His partner glared at him.

"Oh. I said too much, so please forget all that."

Red had to physically hold himself back from reacting. What was Team Rocket doing near Pallet? Weren't they disbanded?

"Enough of this! We take them out, right now!" screamed the Rocket woman again, though this time the order was directed at her partner.

"_Damn _you're loud," he spat back, though the Pokéball in his hand spoke volumes of his intentions. Before he released the creature inside, however, he paused and took a good look at the Pikachu and its trainer. The Pokéball was immediately put away and replaced by a different one, coloured an odd black rather than the traditional red and white.

He summoned a veritable beast of a creature before him. It was a large, draconic Pokémon with heads for arms.

"Petrel… do you really have to use _that _thing? HQ already gave us a Magmortar, so I don't think a couple of kids from Kanto will put up a fight. Just bring out a Weezi–"

The Team Rocket member– Petrel, as his partner called him– dropped any preconception of being an easy-going individual. He grabbed her by the shoulder hard enough to elicit a gasp of pain.

"The situation just got a little more serious, I'm afraid. I'm all for messin' around with my subordinates, but you'll call me _Executive _Petrel when circumstance demands it, am I clear?"

She nodded, the fear in her eyes as clear as day.

Both Cynthia and Red caught on immediately. Contrary to what they had first believed, it wasn't the woman who was in charge. It was the man– Petrel.

"Allow us to ask, then," Cynthia posed cordially in spite of the imminent chaos. "What are you doing in Pallet Town?"

The answer wasn't one they wanted to hear.

"Hydreigon. Draco Meteor."

Little comets of dragon-type energy carpet-bombed the ground where the Champions stood. It was only thanks to a pair of well-timed Iron Tail attacks that the two got out unscathed.

"Tch. That Pikachu really _is _quick. No wonder you are who you are, Mister Champion."

The Rocket woman was shocked. "Wait! Then he's–"

"Yes. Pokémon Champion Red. Alert HQ, we're pulling out. I'm _not _getting sandwiched between the Kanto Champion and the League Master."

Red clicked his tongue. It was bad enough that Team Rocket was still around, but it would be worse if they'd be purposely tiptoeing around him from now on.

Actually, that was the _best-case_ scenario. It was just as probable that they would take out all the stops and bring the whole organization down on him.

Yes, he was able to take them out almost single-handedly before, but never let it be said that it was a head-to-head contest of strength. He won because they underestimated him and they were unprepared.

They wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"Cynthia, we need to stop her from leaving."

She understood the gist of things, so she didn't bother questioning him. "Garchomp and I will keep her still, then."

Red nodded her way. "Pikachu, we're taking out the dragon-type."

With a single jump, the electric mouse joined the Hydreigon in the air.

"Pika!" it exhaled, twisting its body around to fling an Electro Ball right into the Rocket Pokémon's face.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. The Hydreigon was able to shoot out another Draco Meteor from its hands, forcing Pikachu to use the Electro Ball to intercept rather than attack.

Red frowned. Pikachu was a special case –having been subjected to countless battles– but it was otherwise uncommon for a Pokémon to move so effectively without the instruction of its trainer. It was a problem for them now, particularly because the enemy Pokémon would be able to fire another Draco Meteor faster than Pickachu could close the gap between them.

Change of plans, then.

"Thunder, Pikachu."

Petrel's eyes widened. "Find cover!"

The airborne creature didn't have the time. A devastating lightning strike came down, slamming it firmly into the ground.

Red looked to where Cynthia's Garchomp was holding up the Magmortar. She didn't seem to be having any problems, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Pikachu, go help–"

"Look out!"

He heard Cynthia's warning, but he didn't have the time to react. One of Hydreigon's heads came from behind him and bit into his shoulder.

"ARHG!"

His cry of pain was heard loud and clear. The Team Rocket woman smirked, thinking that her escape was all but assured with the Champion –the main threat– being taken out. The girl she was fighting was surprisingly strong, but nothing that Magmortar–

Like a pile driver, Garchomp's Giga Impact practically buried the Blast Pokémon. It was out like a light before it knew what was happening.

"You idiot!" yelled Petrel. "Don't underestimate the blondie!"

Too late.

Garchomp was already chasing after the Hydreigon. Two Giga Impact attacks met head to head.

Red, as injured as he was, wasn't out of it yet. He'd underestimated the Hydreigon's ability to take a hit once, but he wouldn't a second time. While the creature was distracted, he called out to the distraught Pikachu at his side, "End it now!"

Nothing more needed to be said. It used the same Tackle attack variant that it used earlier –the Volt Tackle– and slammed right into the side of the Rocket's unaware Pokémon.

The force behind the blow wasn't at all comparable to the first. Every step the tiny creature took shattered the ground below by stray currents. The energy coursing through it was simply too strong to contain.

The Hydreigon nearly folded in on itself.

Petrel clicked his tongue, returning the crumpled mess of a dragon to its Pokéball. He could tell immediately that it wouldn't be getting up from a hit like that. "You know? It's kind of a bother to have so many scary-strong people hovering around the gate points. Please _do _take your time recovering from Hydreigon's little gift, 'cuz I'd rather have to deal with you… later than sooner, I guess?"

"You bas–"

Red's retort was cut short by a grunt of pain. He lost all feeling in his legs, and it was only the quick hands of Cynthia catching him that preventing his unceremonious drop to the dirt.

No good… he was losing too much blood. She would have to make sure that he was alright, but it would have to wait until _after _she got the answers they needed.

The Sinnoh Champion grit her teeth. She hated this "road trip" already.

"Gate points? What are you talking about?"

Petrel scratched his goatee absentmindedly. "Did I say too much again? Damn, that's a pretty bad habit, isn't it? Oh well. Not that it'll do 'ya any good. We'll be off now."

"You think we'll just let you leave?"

Garchomp showcased its acceleration splendidly, getting up into the Team Rocket Executive's face in a blink of an eye, though it wasn't able to do anything other than that.

"Easy, now!" tutted the purple-haired man, having released five Weezing to surround the Mach Pokémon. "You might be able to trap me eventually, but I promise I won't make it easy for ya! Besides, Mister Champion isn't doing so hot right now."

The blonde looked down at her charge and grimaced. He made a fair point.

"Don't worry about me!" growled Red. "You can't let them contact their headquarters!"

"Too late!" the Executive singsonged. He pointed to where his partner stood– rather, where she _once _stood. All that remained further down the destroyed road was an empty crater.

He grinned, walking away knowing that they wouldn't pursue.

In the aftermath of their failure, they were left alone.

"…Bring out Charizard. I'll help strap you to its back," was all Cynthia felt she could say.

They hadn't even made it to Pallet Town yet –let alone Cinnabar– and things had already gone to shit. Would it have gone differently if Blue had come with them? Would they have been better off if they hadn't come here in the first place?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let my guard down like that."

No, he shouldn't have. What's done is done, however, and they could only trust that any time they lost getting Red medical treatment wouldn't cost them too much in the long run.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the smouldering death trap that was once a shiny red convertible.

"Blue has insurance, right?"

Red's face grew even paler.


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N) A shorter chapter, admittedly. Shorter than the last one, even. I _could _have gone over, but it wouldn't sit right with how the next few chapters are paced. This one's a bit more character-heavy, while the bit coming up (without giving anything away) is gonna be a loopy-loop slip-n-slide type deal.

Honestly, I'm gonna have a lot of fun making a younger Cynthia develop into the strong woman she's known to be in Diamond and Pearl. Similarly, I'm _also _going to have lots of fun giving a personality-less protagonist a developing character to compliment her.

A lot of that development will happen right here in this first arc, but in my mind, that doesn't really count. This whole shebang is basically just an extended introduction to the plot of the story as it will be explored in the (hopefully near) future.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and don't be afraid to give me your thoughts on the story so far (as little as there is). It'll go a long way to help me tailor and maintain the quality and make it as enjoyable as I can.

X

"Red, what in Arceus' name–"

Professor Oak cut himself off. He unhooked his young protégé from the girl who was all but carrying him and laid him flat on the floor.

"Boris!" he called out to one of his assistants. "Get the medical kit!"

Less than a minute later, a burly, bald-headed man came in with a large box. He noticed the boy on the floor immediately. "My experience is with _Pokémon_, not people, but the wound doesn't look too deep. He won't need to be hospitalized, thankfully… but…" he paused. "he _does _look like he lost quite a bit of blood.."

"Will he need a transfusion?" asked Cynthia.

"No." The resident Pokémon healthcare specialist shook his head. "I made it sound worse than it actually is, sorry. Some supplements will have him feeling fresh as a rose in a couple of days."

He then frowned. "Still…"

He poked his patient's side, eliciting a groan of pain from the delirious boy.

"He's in a lot of pain. I'll call for someone to bring us some something strong to keep him out of it while I stitch him up."

Boris left again and came back with an oversized stretcher. "Again, most of what we have is meant for Pokémon. Lass, would you mind giving me a hand?"

She nodded.

As gently as they could, the two of them lifted their charge onto the stretcher.

He tilted his head to address Samuel. "I can take it from here, Professor."

"Thank you, Boris."

The Champion and the Pokémon Master were the only ones at the entrance of the Lab. The older man let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Could that troublesome child go a _week _without causing him problems?

"Now… Would you mind filling me in?"

X

The pair moved to the ranch to have their discussion. The hope was that a change in scenery could help them both calm down from the events not thirty minutes past.

As Samuel Oak rubbed his temples, he knew that his hope was short-lived. It would seem that things were getting a little out of hand.

"This is worrying. Especially since I didn't even notice their presence," muttered the professor. "You said Blue was the only one in Cerulean with Misty?"

"Yes, Professor. We felt that splitting up was our best option; we need to be prudent and cover all of our bases."

The man sighed, absently running his hands through the mane of an old-looking Arcanine that came to his side. "The first thing I'll do is contact the league, and inform them of the gravity of the situation. Next, I'll go out myself to see if I can find any traces of Team Rocket. When I get back, we'll bring Red back home to his mother. I'm sure she's worried sick. Is that alright with you?"

Cynthia, who was checking her Garchomp's wings for scuffs, dutifully got up from her crouch. "Of course. I'll go ask mister Boris how Red's feeling."

Without wasting another word, the girl marched back into the building at a brisk pace. Garchomp, who was left at the ranch, tilted its head.

"Gar?"

Samuel laughed softly. It sounded tired. "Really uptight, that one…"

X

His mother's angry face stared down at him.

Oh. So he was at home, then.

"Red–"

"I _know_, mom."

Her expression didn't change. "So much for being careful."

It was a sore spot for the woman. A child left alone to journey with his or her Pokémon was already a frightful thought for most parents, but when her son took the position of Kanto League Champion, she knew the dangers he would face could only become more real. It was one thing for an adult to manage the duty, but Red _wasn't _an adult.

She hated it. It wasn't fair. Why did he have the same responsibilities as a man twice his age simply because he was more skilled than one?

Sigh.

Deep inside, despite her worry, she knew it wasn't that simple. Her boy had sought this life from the moment he had seen Pokémon for the first time on Samuel's ranch all those years ago.

Just as one couldn't make a Ponyta drink even if they brought it water, neither could they pull it away once it started to drink.

Still. That didn't excuse recklessness, as unexpected as the encounter might have been.

Red looked out the window. It was morning? He was out for the entire day, then. He turned to the door and tried to sit upright. "I _am _sorry mom, but I can't afford to stop now. I need to tell Professor–"

"You don't have to tell him anything. Both he and the nice blonde girl are waiting for you downstairs."

He blinked. "Blonde girl? You mean Cynthia?"

His mother snapped her fingers. "That's the name. She's a darling, that one. Very polite, too."

Huh?

For whatever reason, the words "Cynthia" and "polite" didn't register properly when used in the same sentence.

The woman frowned. "Imagine my surprise when she and Samuel come knocking at my door out of nowhere, my unconscious and bandaged son being pushed along with them in a wheelchair. The professor said the _drugs_ would wear off in by morning. He didn't take the time to explain a damn thing!"

Red gulped. His mother sounded… upset.

"So," she continued to rant, "we'll go down to the living room, and all three of you are going to tell me why you came home comatose and with a punctured gut."

"My stomach is fine–"

Her glare intensified.

"Right. Let's go, then."

Slowly, she helped him up and they hobbled over to join the waiting pair.

The two were sitting on separate couches, both with their legs crossed and mugs of tea nursed in hand.

Noticing the new arrivals, Cynthia lowered the beverage to her lap. "Red. It's good to see that you're doing well."

He nodded as his mom helped him sit on the other end of the same lounge chair. "Yeah. Thanks."

"So?" asked his mother expectantly with crossed arms. She sat next to Samuel.

The professor sighed. "I'm sorry Delia. I wanted Red to be here when we discussed this. There was no need to give you a scare unnecessarily."

"Red and I needed to pass through Pallet town to catch the ferry, but we were ambushed by Team Rocket," explained Cynthia. "Apparently, they've been stopping people from coming to Pallet Town."

Delia jumped right back on to her feet. "What!? I thought they were disbanded! How long has this been going on? Are they still here?"

"_I_ thought they were disbanded, too, but I guess I was wrong," stated her son matter-of-factly. "They couldn't have been here long, though. We only just _left _this place the other day."

"Luckily –or not, depending on how you look at it– it would seem they're long gone. They won't be causing any more issues here," added Oak.

Cynthia frowned. "…"

The Kanto Champion quirked a brow. "What is it?"

"As the risk of sounding inconsiderate, I must say it's not Pallet Town I'm worried about right now."

"Hm?"

"What do you mean?"

Both Red and the professor leaned forward to hear what she had to say. While Delia was still, she was no less alert.

The blonde faced her fellow Champion. "Remember what that… hooligan said? They wanted nothing to do with the professor. What else of note is there in Pallet Town? No disrespect meant, of course," she directed the last bit at the other woman.

The boy scratched his cheek "Well, not much."

The Sinnoh Champion pointed to a nearby window, though no one knew what she was trying to single out. "What did the man called this place? A 'gate point', was it?"

Red's eyes widened. "The ferry! Short of flying there, it's one of the only ways to get to Cinnabar! If they can shut down any traffic going through there, then–"

"Cinnabar Island? What could they possibly want there?" asked Delia.

Samuel grimaced. "I'm afraid that's all we're allowed to say, my dear. I've already brought it up with the top brass, and they told me that this is should remain a matter of utmost secrecy. I'm sorry."

Both Champions looked surprised. They hadn't heard that bit yet.

Delia was dangerously calm. "My son almost died, Samuel."

The son in question tried to assuage her, "It's okay, mom. We know what we're dealing with now; we'll be careful."

"Careful?" she repeated. "Of course. You're staying right here. You need to recover."

"Wha–"

"Yes," agreed Cynthia, to his surprise. "Strong as you are, your health would make you a liability. It's best if I go alone."

"_Enough_, all of you."

The three silenced themselves and turned the professor's way.

"Cynthia," he looked the girl in the eyes. "This is no time for overestimating yourself, or _underestimating _your enemies. Team Rocket is organized and dangerous. You'll _need _Red to watch your back. I wouldn't let either of you step foot on that ferry without backup."

Delia didn't like that decision. "My son isn't–"

"Your _son _is the only Pokémon Champion in the country trusted with the responsibility of overseeing two different regions. Believe in him," the older man told her firmly.

Cynthia was abashed, and Delia simmered.

"Red."

At the League Master's words, the Kanto trainer straightened in his seat. He was pretty scary when he wanted to be. "Yes?"

"Can you move?"

A nod.

"Go get ready."

Another nod. He was out of the room in seconds. Silence reigned for an uncomfortable instant.

"…If he doesn't come back safe, I'll never forgive you."

"I know," replied the professor simply.

Cynthia's expression was blank

X

The two champions assumed a sedate pace as they boarded the ship. Red didn't want to aggravate his wounds, and Cynthia was content to match his speed.

"Sorry about my mom. She can be a little overprotective sometimes."

The blonde looked away, not allowing him to see her face. "No. It's… nice to have a parent who cares so much about you."

Red tilted his head forward, trying to get a better read on her mood. "Hm? Do you not get along with your parents?"

"I never met them. They died when I was young."

He made a strangled sound. Way to put a dampener on someone's mood. "Sorry. I didn't know."

"It's fine."

That was about as much "small talk" the two were willing to explore, or even capable of. It was killed as quickly as it started, not that it was anything substantial to begin with. Both understood that it would be easier and less awkward to keep discussions on purely business-related topics from then on.

They _really _weren't good at getting along with others, let alone each other.

Cynthia observed her surroundings. "There aren't very many passengers here… Is this normal?"

"Hmm…" Red rose a fist to his mouth in thought. "Well, people usually _do_ try their best to catch the larger ship lines in Vermillion and Fuchsia, rather than the small one we have here… No, you're right, actually. Viridian and Pewter alone should have enough passing traffic to keep this place up and running. I recognize a lot of faces, so my bet's that these are all Pallet Town residents."

The Sinnoh girl clenched her fist. "So we weren't in time to stop Rocket…"

"It's already something that the ferry plans on taking off at all. They were probably hoping that the service would be canceled without enough buyers."

_"Attention all passengers. We will be departing shortly. Our estimated travel time is four hours and twenty minutes. Please enjoy your time with us, and take full advantage of our on-ship entertainment–"_

"Does this boat have a Pokémon lounge? I'd like to check up on my party if I can," Cynthia asked her partner, speaking over the intercom announcement.

Red let a small grin cross his lips. Despite any… misgivings he had with her, it was undeniably fitting that she's be more interested in spending time with her Pokémon than taking a few hours to relax.

"It does, actually. It's no cruise ship, but Professor Oak paid the company to upgrade their vessel a long time ago. One of his larger Pokémon used to belong to the Cinnabar Gym Leader, so he'd make the trip back and forth very frequently. I was told the Pokémon doesn't like Pokéballs, so… yeah."

Cynthia quirked her lips upward. It was _almost _a smile. "Great. I'll ask for directions, then."

"Actually, do you mind if I join you?"

The way she stared blankly at him said she wasn't expecting him to ask that. He explained, "Not many of my Pokémon can fit in a normal cabin either, so it would be nice to let them stretch their legs."

"I see. You're more than welcome to do so."

X

Leaning forward with his whole body, Red pushed the palms of his hands down between the shoulder blades of a robust Snorlax.

"Relax. Lower your shoulder."

"Snorr~" the creature growled in pleasure as its trainer helped massage the stiffness out of its upper back.

Lost in his own little world, Red smiled happily. "Better? I know you've been feeling cramped lately. I promise I'll let you out more whenever I can."

A relatively small feline monster rubbed itself against his leg.

"Espeon? Oh! Don't worry, I'll brush you next. Promise."

He finally noticed Cynthia staring at him. The notebook he'd grown accustomed to seeing on her person was held in one hand alongside a pen. Her Gastrodon –a Pokémon found most commonly in the Sinnoh region– was in turn staring at _her_, likely wondering why its trainer had stopped doing… whatever it was that they were doing.

Knowing her, it was probably something over the top like a full-body physical examination. He didn't doubt she kept a checklist, too.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I'm surprised, is all."

"By what?"

"How well you treat your Pokémon."

Before he could take offense, she continued, "You've been very… dismissive of my methods of training, and I suppose somewhere along the line I assumed it was because you don't take it as seriously as I do. I think…"

She trailed off, thinking about her words. She placed her free hand up against Gastrodon's head tenderly. "I think I understand a little better now."

The blonde didn't have anything else to add. In fact, she ended the conversation right there, going right back to scribbling in her notebook.

Her aloof personality bothered him, were he to be honest with himself. It was only the knowledge that he wasn't too social a person himself that allowed him to let it go.

A bark caught his attention. In the corner of the large, open room, is fellow Champion's Lucario was playing with Pikachu.

His smile once again found its way back to his face. If nothing else, her _Pokémon _were great. He wouldn't begrudge her that.

In fact…

A small green figure –a Roserade, if he remembered the name correctly– stood to the side so as not to be bothered. Despite coming off as austere, it also had a calm and collected air about it. The roses on its hands were vivid, bright and luscious. It was an elegant Pokémon through and through.

At first glance, the blue quadruped –the Glaceon– seemed lethargic in the way many domestic creatures were. He noticed quickly that not all was as it seemed, however, as its corded muscle shone through its well-groomed fur whenever it changed positions. It was strong and excellently trained.

On the matter of strength, he knew what the Garchomp at her side could do very well. It was an apex predator, one of the strongest species known to mankind, and it _proved _that every time he saw it in action– as limited as those occasions were. More than the strength, though, it was the _respect _he knew the Pokémon had for its trainer that impressed him. It was something seldom earned, surely.

The Togekiss looked so… out of place to him. Not because it seemed any weaker than the others, but because it didn't give off the same vibes as its trainer at all. Its aura was warm, happy, welcoming… truly the epitome of what came to mind when one thought of a Togekiss.

Of course, he couldn't forget the Lucario. He'd never tell the blonde, but seeing her Pokémon's Aura Sphere in action was _incredible_. It somehow managed to balance looking cool with a healthy playfulness– as it was brought to light by Pikachu.

Then the Gastrodon, the Pokémon the girl was doting on. He didn't know much about its species, but he could tell without a second glance that it was in peak physical condition. Despite this, its trainer made sure not to skip a single step while evaluating its condition.

Cynthia did things… differently, to say the least. He could not, however, say that she wasn't a good trainer. He could tell that much by looks alone.

X

She slid her finger gently across her Pokémon's flank, feeling its skin shiver upon contact.

"Hm."

Cynthia took the notebook labeled "Gastrodon" out of her bag along with a pen. She wrote as quickly as she could so as not to lose her train of thought.

_Skin responds well to touch. Mucus maintains its expected viscosity._

One thing at a time, she went over the same points covered on the page before this one, and every page that came before that. It was a repetitive process, but her time was an acceptable loss. She would never take risks with her Pokémon.

"You're doing just, fine, girl," she muttered under her breath.

"Relax. Lower your shoulder."

Hm?

Red was a little ways away in the expansive lounge room. To her surprise, he was actually giving a Snorlax a _massage_.

It was no easy task. The pressure and control one would need to do something like that to a monster of that size was not forgiving on the body.

"Snorr~"

"Better? I know you've been feeling cramped lately. I promise I'll let you out more whenever I can."

Another one of his Pokémon came to him.

"Espeon? Oh! Don't worry, I'll brush you next. Promise."

He would be tired after working the Snorlax, wouldn't he? He didn't seem to mind.

She saw the smile on his face.

It was a pure smile. A happy smile.

So that was it. He didn't mind because it wasn't a chore to him. He enjoyed this just as much as his Pokémon did.

"Is something wrong?"

The call was sudden, and so she almost jumped. She liked to think that she did a good job of keeping her composure, though.

Oh. She was staring.

Since when? When did Gastrodon's notebook close in her hand? When did she get distracted?

"I'm surprised, is all," she answered simply. What else was there to say?

"By what?"

A great question. What grabbed her attention? The way his Pokémon flocked to him? The care with which he looked after them? How happy –_accomplished– _he seemed while doing so?

"How well you treat your Pokémon."

She realized as quickly as she said it that her words came out a little insulting. She did her best to explain herself. "You've been very… dismissive of my methods of training, and I suppose somewhere along the line I assumed it was because you don't take it as seriously as I do. I think…"

What _did _she think?

She noticed the way Gastrodon was looking at her, as if trying to understand what was conflicting its trainer. The sentiment was appreciated.

She placed her hand against the side of its head with a gentle upturn of her lips.

She looked at the boy's –the Champion's– Pokémon, for what felt like the first time.

The first that caught her eye was the Charizard. It was lazing about, sleeping on its side. It would be an underwhelming picture did she not know what that thing could do. Even now, she could see the coiled muscle of its nearly comically large frame rippling with every breath. It was a monster in every sense of the word.

The Snorlax was similarly deceptive. Though it was melting into the massage it was receiving, it was likely well earned. It was _huge, _but not just because of its signature belly. Its limbs were tellingly thick; it probably needed the massages to ease its body after the constant physical exertion it likely put itself through.

The Espeon, which admittedly had the mannerisms of a house pet, was much more than just that. From the care that went into maintaining its coat to the grace with which it executed the simplest of movements, it acted like greatness was _expected_ of it– both by itself as well as others.

Two mountainous Pokémon sat in each other's company like statues, one of which she was well acquainted with. The water type –Blastoise– seemed like a living fortress, though its nature was undeniably passive. If she were told that its Hydro Cannon could uproot a forest while taking several Pokémon off their feet at once, she'd _still_ be hard-pressed to believe it had she not seen it with her own eyes.

The second one, Venusaur, was an oddity even amongst the few she'd encountered in her life. The sheer size of the growth on its back would usually indicate that its trainer had failed to prune it properly, but she knew differently. She could tell by the shape that the growth _was _cut recently enough, only that it grew at an unusual rate. She could see the tools Red was planning to use –probably shortly– sticking out of the side pocket of his bag.

Of course, she couldn't forget the Pikachu. Secretly, she thought the little thing was adorable. Even now, as it played with her Lucario, it exhibited quirks that made her want to squeeze it tightly and protect it from the big, bad world. Only… it was probably the most dangerous monster in the room right now. Just yesterday, it had _crushed _a _Hydreigon _of all things.

Despite his supposed flippant and easygoing nature, Red was not a slacker. Quite the opposite, actually. He was passionate and strong-willed, and his Pokémon were led by the example he set for them.

"I think I understand a little better now."


End file.
